Checkmate, a leading provider of pre-employment screening solutions, today announced it has raised US$1.6 million in seed funding from Wavemaker Partners, Southeast Asia’s leading early-stage venture capital firm investing in B2B, Deep Tech, and Sustainability startups. The investment will fuel Checkmate’s expansion into new markets, including the Philippines, and enhance its platform to deliver even greater value to clients.
Founded in 2019, Checkmate streamlines the hiring process by aggregating background checks, reference verifications, and compliance requirements into a single platform. The company’s solution significantly reduces time-to-hire, enhances the candidate experience, and helps businesses acquire top talent more effectively.
“At Checkmate, we’ve made it our mission to turn what is typically an unenjoyable and cumbersome task, such as police vetting, into a streamlined and efficient process,” said Scott Inglis, CEO and Founder of Checkmate. “Our solution significantly reduces the time-to-hire and enhances the candidate experience, ultimately helping businesses acquire top talent more effectively.”
“Checkmate is advancing the HR industry with a platform that integrates pre-employment screening, compliance checks, onboarding, and AI-driven reference checking. This comprehensive solution accelerates hiring, reducing time-to-hire from weeks to a mere three days, while also enhancing compliance and fraud prevention,” said Andy Hwang, General Partner at Wavemaker Partners.
“Additionally, by leveraging referral data for personalized onboarding, Checkmate improves the overall candidate experience– an often-overlooked aspect of the process. With over 500 enterprise clients across nine countries, Checkmate enables HR teams to focus on strategic priorities. We are pleased to support the company as they continue to expand to more markets,” Hwang added.
“We are excited to have secured this funding from Wavemaker,” said Inglis. “They have been incredibly supportive of our vision, and this investment enables us to continue building a solution that our clients love. With Wavemaker’s backing, we are poised to scale our operations, deepen our impact, and continue innovating to meet the evolving needs of our customers.”
Checkmate’s expansion into the Philippines aligns with the country’s thriving startup ecosystem as more organizations seek reliable and efficient pre-employment screening. By offering a seamless platform that integrates background checks, compliance processes, and AI-driven reference checking, Checkmate ensures the accuracy and reliability of employee backgrounds, contributing to safer and more productive work environments in the Philippines.